Where We Are Now
by ThomThom
Summary: AU--Kennedy is the head of a group of fighters in New York, and one of the most known fighters. It's been three years since chaos broke out, and no sign of real hope. As things start to get more chaotic, there's word of a certain group of heroes coming.
1. Chapter 1

Well…Okay, here I am. I know, I know, you guys that read my stuff are like 'what the hell?', but I promise they're coming soon, so no worries. Anyways, hello, and welcome, to this thing--Whatever it is. This is a story I just randomly thought about, and felt that I had to write, so I'm presenting it now, and I hope everyone likes it. There's a little change in meeting here, that will be very obvious as you begin to read, and maybe some slight changes in plot from the show--But, I'm hoping that you enjoy the change. This chapter will mostly consist on character setup…so you won't see the gang until the next chapter, I'm thinking. Okay, no more explaining. I hope you all like the story, thanks for reading, and let me know what you think, please. -*ThomThom*

Introduction: Where We Are Now

'_I was a nobody. Just some kid sitting around listening to the bullshit around me; sitting back, and watching everyone talk about giving up; praying for their deaths to come faster. Gotta admit, I had started to head in that direction once, but one day something inside me was suddenly filled with strength. Strength beyond my usual attitude, and cockiness that I feel I rightly possess. Something inside me that told me that running was not an option; that we had to fight for what was ours, even if we had no chance. Then again, when do you truly never have a chance? Anyone would be surprised to find that there's never a time to give up. Never a time when shutting up about something you believe in should be your only way out. Yeah, I was a nobody once. A nobody. Now there's few who don't know my name…they were all nobodies too.' _

The building was run down, just like every other building smack-dab in the middle of the city. It was where all the action was; no longer just in the out-sweeps of town, working it's way in, so of course that's where she was. Where else would she be? This is where her heart told her to be; where her blood pumped that much faster as soon as she stepped one foot across that city line. It was going to be the night; the night that she took down the new rising clan--One of thousands, but this one she had a particular need to take down. So, she sat in one of the rooms of the building; the plaster on it's walls peeling off in piles of brown. They hadn't originally been that color, but with the water leakages, smoke from fires, and countless intrusions leading to blood splatter, the walls were no longer white. She was unsure of what the floor used to look like; only knowing the piles of black paper, and plaster, along with a few passing rodents, which she paid no mind to--They were just trying to survive just like every live thing left in the city that wasn't a demon, or some branch of the sort. Just another part of the animal kingdom, so even when they squealed, and ran directly over her crossed legs, she didn't move to kill them. She didn't move at all, flinching or otherwise.

'_It won't be long,' _every part of her was ready, and now she was just centering herself as much as possible. Meditating had become she needed; not just to keep her body operating, but to keep herself from simply running out into the middle of the chaos when she felt that urge from within. So, she sat breathing slowly, with her eyes closed, and her legs crossed, facing the window which gave an image of distant fires, and flashing lights of blues and greens--evidence of use of magic. Her two weapons, two long silver machetes, were laid out in front of her, and she was ready. All she needed was the signal; to hear someone approach the door, and she would be up and on the move, _'Just another animal in this kingdom,' _her hand twitched suddenly, pulling her completely out of her meditating state, which she had had trouble completely indulging in--nothing new on the night of a fight. Just like any other time, she was just going to ignore the twitch; there was no time to pay attention to things like that. Not when there were so many depending on her.

There was a knock at the door, "Kennedy, it's time," this was Michelle, a girl with a story of her own. One that she wasn't so fond of telling, but it didn't matter. They were all devoted to one another; always by each other's side, just trying to survive, and as long as that was true, there was no need to know every detail of each other's past. She watched Kennedy stand up slowly, everything in the room seeming to shift as her body rose, thanks to the layers beneath her, as well as a scatter of small creatures spreading throughout the room. There had been a time where Michelle herself would have been disgusted, and panicked at the sight of such things, but not anymore. There wasn't any time for that, either.

"Is everyone ready?" Kennedy asked, picking up her machetes, after she dusted herself off. She turned to Michelle, who had a bow and arrow in her hand. It was her main weapon of choice at all times, along with one machete, but all the top guns had at least one machete. They were trademarks; an announcement of who they all were, and there were few who didn't know who they were immediately at the sight of the long blades. As usual, Michelle was wearing a pair of tight worn and torn blue jeans, with a dark green tank, and some heavy black boots, which were necessary when walking through the city. Never know what was lying on the ground out there. It was her fighting attire, not that she had many options of what to wear, but they all dressed pretty similar on these nights; the main difference being their tops--That however, didn't matter. There were just times where she noticed these things.

Michelle looked over her shoulder, pulling back her black hair up into a ponytail as she counted the number of people behind her; she counted nine. With her and Kennedy included there was eleven, when there used to be twelve. It was the twelfth one that they all had on their mind; it was her they were going to avenge, "All set. Just waiting for you, now," her voice seemed to shake slightly, involuntarily, "You ready for this? Seems a little extra crazy out there tonight," the city was louder than usual, and they all knew why; everyone seemed to know.

"They're out there gloating," she began to walk towards the girl she considered to be a sister, her face full of the anger she felt within, as her heart began to pound in her chest. The rush was something she loved; that surge of energy, and power, but it didn't get rid of some of the fear. They were walking into a trap, and she knew it. But, they had to go, and they had to make it out alive. There were too many depending on them not to, and there were too many eyes watching them for them not to take their revenge, "It's now or never, Michelle," her eyes wondered over to the girls standing completely outside of the room; she could feel their nerves; hear their hearts pounding, "It's me and you," her voice was quiet, quiet enough so that she knew that only the girl in front of her could hear her, "Me and you."

She lifted her hand, "Always has been," Kennedy's hand met hers, and both pulled slightly, bringing their heads together briefly, "Let's do this," she yelled, "Get your asses out there, you all know the plan," letting their hands separate, she turned her back to her closest friend, only looking back to give her a quick wink, "This better be done by sunrise."

**************************************

'_Have you ever been in the middle of chaos? Every felt it's fingers brush across your face?' _she wiped the black blood off of her cheek with her shirt, and moved forward. It hadn't been her blood, so the need to get it off her face was an urgent one. She never knew how a demon's blood would affect her skin, or her body in general. Some of them had learned that the hard way; being burned, and left scared on parts of their arms and legs, "Pull back together!" she yelled, and each of them moved to be closer to the center of the room. Hordes of black demons were heading towards them, a few of them already upon them, reaching with their nails to tear flesh. They hadn't had any deaths yet, but if they didn't stay close to one another, they all knew that that wouldn't hold true for much longer, _'We've got about twenty minutes left in here,' _her brown eyes searched the room, hoping to lock with shades of grey, and finally they did.

Michelle had a cut on her head, and blood was starting to run down her face, but she didn't even seem to be phased by it. When the cut had first appeared, after the demon had managed to turn her own machete on her, she had tried to wipe the blood away, but it had just kept coming, and so she had torn part of her shirt, tying it around her head, in order to slow it as much as possible. But, she knew that losing as much as she was, sooner or later, it was going to catch up with her. After taking one more blow to the face, temporarily distracted by Kennedy's call, she picked up one of her arrows off the ground, turned the demon around, and sliced it's neck open; black spurts immediately flying forward, and then she let the demon drop to the floor, before looking back to Kennedy. Seeing that Kennedy was the one that was now occupied, by a group of about four demons surrounding her, she looked to see how all the other girls were doing. She counted seven, and automatically knew where the other two were; they weren't dead, she could feel that, but if they didn't hurry, everyone else was going to be. Only her and Kennedy seemed to be standing strong, and she herself wasn't up to her usual.

Kennedy ducked underneath one of the demon's claws, stabbing it in the stomach, as she kicked the demon behind her, and then twirled her other machete, as she stood up right, slicing off one of their heads, _'It's what pushes us forward; this chaos. And sure, it might be trying to kill us, too, but if you know how to move exactly--When to duck, when to jump, when to take just one more hit--sometimes it'll surprise you and lend you some of its power,' _after taking down the last two surrounding her, she looked to Michelle and gave a quick nod, which the girl sent to another, and then another. That's when the girls started to vanish, some of them jumping out of windows, others squeezing between cracks in the room, "It's you and me," she yelled to Michelle. It was only the two of them that weren't running, "You and me," pulling up their last burst of energy, they started to kill one demon after another, ducking in between each kill so that the demons began to hit each other on accident. They were both headed in a certain direction; towards the back of the building, where pounds of explosives had been set up. Black powder scattered about it's edges, _'Every once in a while, you're the source of it all--When you've reached that point, you've made friends with the best ally out there. But don't forget, it still might try to kill you.'_

As soon as she caught sight of it all, Michelle reached in her pocket, as fast as she could, taking a kick to the stomach, and sparking her lighter to life, and then lighting the tip of one of her arrows, which she had specifically covered with a drenched cloth--it was drenched in lighter fluid. She quickly shot it in the direction of the explosives, a smirk played across her face. Some of the demons backed away out of instinct, while others that spotted the explosives tried to take off and run. But they wouldn't get far, and she knew it. All the cracks in the building had been covered, thanks to the girls who had left, and if they decided to jump out any window…there would be someone waiting for them. Mostly, by moving closer and closer towards the back of the building, her and Kennedy had pulled them too far back to be able to escape. Now, they just had to find their own way out, "It's done!"

"Got it," Kennedy yelled over the hoard of demons. She who had also brought a lighter, threw her own towards one of the corners of the room, knowing there was a path of black powder waiting to be lit. They immediately began to first hear small explosives, and the building started to shake, "Let's get out of here," she called, as she made a quick right between the panicked demons. She ran as fast as she could, slicing some out of her way, while pushing others who were still trying to fight. Then, she felt her right hand being grasped by another hand, one that she knew without even looking, and she just ran. There was a window in sight, one that they had labeled as their escape, and they both ran full speed to get to it, turning slightly as they felt the glass break under their pressure. And, as soon as their shoulders broke through the glass, they felt a sudden heat consume them, throwing them forward. They had been the second floor, so the landing was a harsh one, but that didn't matter.

"Fuck," Michelle clinched her teeth, turning onto her back. She looked over to Kennedy, who was slowly starting to sit up, "God damn it no more fucking windows."

Kennedy laughed, despite her pained ribs, looking over at her friend, catching sight of the shard of glass lodged in the girl's arm, "Don't move, I'm gonna take it out," she reached over and grabbed the shard, using her other hand to put pressure on the girl's arm, and then pulled it out quickly, watching Michelle stifle a scream, "You good?" the girl simply nodded, and then Kennedy helped her to her feet, "Let's get out of here," the girls who were taking out some of them demons who had gotten out, most of them covered in fire, nodded in Kennedy's direction, took out whatever demon they were fighting, and then turned to leave, _'Still an ally I see.'_

**************************************

"Alright assholes, quiet down," as the room quieted, and all eyes turned to her, Kennedy lifted a glass in the air, ready to make a toast to the night. Though most of them were injured, and drinking should have been the last thing on their mind, they had managed to gather up a few people, to celebrate yet another win, "Tonight, we went out there, knowing full damn well that we didn't have much of a chance, and yet here we are," everyone cheered, "After kicking lots of ass, breaking a few limbs, and cutting a few arms open," her eyes met Michelle's and they both smiled, "we've managed to pull out yet another victory, and even though we're all tired as hell, we want to fuckin celebrate this night. And to remember why we went out there in the first place," each and every person in front of her, about thirty of them total, now had a serious expression on their face at the thought of their lost fighter. It was their first lost, and it was one that none of them had entirely faced, but it was one they knew to be more real than any war raging outside of their hideout, "This night was for her," Kennedy nodded, before gulping down her entire glass, and stepping down off the table she was standing on.

Everyone went back to the conversation they were having; making out with whoever they were making with; or dancing to the music they were dancing to. Anywhere else in the city, and playing music would have been the dumbest risk ever, but where they were, there was no real reason to fear. This was their hideout; deep underground, and in the most remote part of the city, where the demons had once lived, before their rise to the ground above. No one went there but them, and a few stragglers looking for a new place after where they had been staying was taken over by demons. That's how most of the civilians had ended up there; they had been picked up on a run, after the girls had gotten word of an attack, or had somehow managed to hear the whispers from the few humans left about the great fighters of the city. There was more than one group, and everyone knew that, but Kennedy's was the most legendary. She herself was the most legendary leader of them all.

Michelle walked up to her friend, putting her arm around her shoulder sloppily. She had been drinking for a while by this point, having started when she was being stitched up by one of the civilians, and so she was in the best mood she had been in in a while, "Let's have a few shots," she said, guiding Kennedy past a few couches, over to where they had built a bar. They had tons of alcohol; taken from all the abandoned liquor stores, and gas stations.

"I'm actually about ready to take a shower now. Why don't you go get Riley, and a few of the others to have shots with you," seeing the look in her friends eyes, as well as her pouting lips, she smiled, "What the hell, why not?" she watched as her best friend put together a few shots, laughing at all the spills, and random swigs, as they girl laid them out. Though they were all definitely drinking away the pain at the moment, she couldn't help but enjoy times like these. Times where she could look around and see smiles on the faces of her closest friends, and not feel the weight of the world on her shoulders, "You ready?" she questioned, ignoring her friends swaying, as she nodded. Just as they were both about to gulp down a shot, Kennedy heard her name shouted over the music and froze. Michelle however, sensing that her friend wasn't being called for a reason, did the shot anyways.

"Kennedy," it was a guy they knew, one of the few that hung out with the fighters all of the time, even when it was really too dangerous for him to. His name was Todd, he was a little taller than Kennedy, with dark hair, and dark eyes. He was about the same age and her, and actually was one hell of a fighter, but he was a guy, which meant he wasn't a slayer, and also that the feelings he had for Kennedy would never be returned, "Someone from one of the other groups just brought this note over. They told me to give it to you immediately," he handed it to her.

She looked at it cautiously, though she didn't feel it posed any threat to her. It was what the note was about that made her worry. Usually, notes from any of the other groups were only news of more deaths, or another rising clan, so getting one right after they had lost one of her own was kind of daunting. She turned to the bar, and opened the letter, as the other fighters gathered around her, knowing she would read it aloud, "This letter is to Kennedy, leader of the underground fighters on the east side of the city, from Giovanna leader of the above ground, west side fighters," Kennedy rolled her eyes instantly, thinking of the woman who had obviously had someone write this for her. Giovanna was someone she had known for a long time, one of the people who had been there when the plan of setting up different fighting groups was laid into place, "Later today all of the leaders have decided to come together at the secret location, in order to discuss recent news, and in order to bring together supplies that are needed to be spread out across the city to all of the civilians," that meant food, and clothes, she knew for sure, "All fighters should be brought along," at that, all the other fighters groaned, including Michelle. It wasn't that they didn't want to go, it was just that they were tired, and drunk, and so they knew they would not be up and ready to go any time soon.

"You know what that means," Riley, the recent named third in command, said slowly. She was one of the younger fighters, with died blue hair, that made her look more pale than she actually was, and bright blue eyes, which didn't help either, "It's time for bed."

"No, it's okay," Kennedy said, folding the note, "Michelle and I will go and check things out. We'll probably just talk about migrating a little, and just get food, so no worries. You guys have been through enough. I, however, am I going to bed," she handed the note back to Todd, and then looked to Michelle, "And so are you," the girl took another shot, and then followed behind her, as she made her way through the crowd. There was a room in the back, one the crowd, into another section of their underground hideout. This section had a few beds in it, and was where all of the fighters slept, each of them with some kind of weapon next to their bed. Most of the time, not all of them would sleep in the room, but by morning they'd all be in there, talking about the night before, or looking at a map of the city trying to see how they were going to get to another group of demons, or civilians.

Michelle fell onto her cot in the corner, her eyes closing instantly, "Goodnight Kennedy," she mumbled, pulling her pillow over her head.

Kennedy laughed, "Night Mimi."

**************************************

She opened her eyes slowly, not at all surprised to see a few of the girls had found there way into the room, though not exactly landing on their own parts of the room. A couple years before, she would have died at the thought of having to share a room with eleven, once twelve, other females, but they had all been there for a while now, so it didn't bother her at all. Most of them had something wrapped; an arm, a leg, their head, thanks to the fight the night before, _'Don't know how much we've got left in us,' _she thought, as she walked out of the room, making sure not to wake anyone.

"Hey, you've finally emerged," Michelle said, sitting on a small couch. Somehow, she had managed to emerge without a massive hangover.

Kennedy sat down on the couch as well, putting her legs across her friend's lap, "How's that arm?" she asked, as she then let her eyes wander about the room. Sometimes, she was still amazed at how the demons that had once lived there had managed to make the area actually look like a possible home. She had no clue what the place used to be before the demons had come there, probably just some hole in the ground, but they had managed to make it into something, and then her and the other slayers had managed to make it look like a place humans would actually live in. A few of the fighters, along with the civilians thought of it as an actual home as well, not shy about sleeping on the couches, or bringing in more furniture to pass out on. She laughed at that thought, and then looked back to Michelle, who had apparently answered her question, but she had not been listening, so she asked again.

Despite the fact that she had answered the question, Michelle did not complain, she moved her arm slightly, "Should be healed pretty soon," for a moment, they said nothing, looking about the room. Then, Michelle spoke again, "Abby said she wants to come with us, since everyone else is warn out."

"Oh really," her brows rose. Abby--she was a smart kid, only about seventeen, and just as strong as all the rest of the fighters, but she was inexperienced. Yes, they had all pretty much started out that way, minus herself, and Michelle, but with the things they had been facing, she wasn't sure it was a good idea to pull in a new fighter. They wouldn't have even been considering bringing in a new one at all, if they hadn't lost one a week before, "She does know that we're just going to get food, right? That there won't be any fighting, so she won't feel obligated to prove herself."

"Obligated?" Michelle questioned, "She dreams of proving herself," she paused, "Of getting your approval. You're her idol," she teased. It was nothing new; someone looking up to Kennedy. Pretty much all of them did. How couldn't they? She was their leader. It was her who had gotten them together, and who had helped set up everyone else that was out there, trying to survive on a day to day basis, "Plus, everyone here knows that a food run doesn't only include getting food. Who do you think will be there this time?"

She shrugged, truly unsure, "Depending on who's all left--I'd say Babette, Flore, and Gio, but I haven't heard from anyone for a while, so who knows," out of all the leaders, she herself was the youngest, and only the second strongest, the strongest one being Babette, who was also the oldest. The woman was legendary, for sure, with tales swarming around her, but still it was Kennedy who everyone looked up to. It had been her who had stood up, when everyone else had been ready to run, and it was because of her that everyone had made it as long as they had. However, she didn't really like taking the credit for all of that, "I'm hoping we'll all make it there."

"I'm sure everyone will be there," she assured, placing a hand on her friends knee, "Otherwise we won't be getting any food, and I'm fucking starving," they laughed, though truly it wasn't funny. There was some things they just had to laugh out in order to make it, "You know, we've gotta get formula too, apparently Lima had her kid."

"What? When?" it wasn't like she could keep up with everyone, so though she hated asking about important events like that, wishing that she could keep track of everyone herself, she still had to ask.

"Last night, while we were out kicking ass, she was hear having a baby," she smiled, "It's amazing that we've still got people having kids with all this crap going on, isn't it?" mostly, she meant that it was crazy because of what was going on. They didn't have what it took to take care of a newborn, and a lot of the times the younger ones would die, but they had to at least have hope. Some of them had made it, so maybe they'd find a way to keep them all alive, "I mean, I sure as hell hardly have any time to get laid at all, but other people sure as hell seem to be managing it pretty well," seeing that the sun was completely up, she stretched slightly, "Guess we better head out, don't want to keep everyone waiting, and everyone here will be whining about how hungry they are soon."

Kennedy stood up, stretching as well. Moments right before she had to meet with the others always made her worried and excited all at the same time. She looked forward to seeing them, and to seeing how their groups were doing, but then she also hated the what ifs in the back of her mind--What if they didn't make it? What if they were all dead? What if she was the only one left to lead them all? She sighed aloud, which of course caught everyone's attention, but when she seemed to shrug it off, everyone went back to what they were doing. She looked to Michelle, "Tell Abby she can tag along."

**************************************

'_Times like these, I feel like part of me is just going insane. I feel this urge to laugh instead of cry, and I know that there's gotta be something wrong with me. But there are so many eyes that would be watching, that I can't take that moment to let it all go. I can't let that crazed part of me out,' _they walked past body after body, blood covering the ground, where flesh didn't cover it. A long time ago, a sight like this would have made her vomit, but Kennedy had seen much worse. The problem with this sight was it was all people she knew. They were all fighters, and a few of them were leaders. Spotting someone move in the crowd, she ran over to the outreached hand, the body laying beneath another--It was Giovanna, one of the leaders. A woman hitting her late twenties, known for being just as tough as she was beautiful, "Gio," Kennedy yelled, pushing the body off of the woman, a body that she recognized to be the woman's lover.

Michelle grabbed Abby's arm, keeping the girl from following Kennedy, who she knew was about to say her last words to the woman. She could feel the woman slipping away; feel her life fading into nothing, and considering the history all the leaders had, she felt that neither one of them had the right to hear those last words, "Come on, let's go see if we can find anyone else alive," the place, once labeled as a sanctuary was in shreds, chunks of walls scattered about, from the crumbling buildings around them. It was a horrifying sight, and one that would haunt her for God knows how long, but she had to be strong. Not only for Abby, but for her best friend as well. Especially for her best friend.

Kennedy glanced over as Michelle and Abby headed off in the other direction, and then looked back to Gio, who was no longer the beauty she remembered. Her face was covered in blood, purple bruises preventing her eyes from opening completely, and cuts on her cheeks. She looked down the woman's body, trying to find the wound that was draining her of life, and found that her stomach had been sliced open, and was bleeding profusely , "Oh fuck G, you're…"

"I know," the woman coughed, "I'm a goner," even in the most dire times, this woman managed a laugh--another thing she was known for, "They came out of nowhere," she began, her eyes leaving Kennedy's staring up into nothing, "We had all gotten here last night, thinking it'd be easier that way, and had hoped to get you here too, but we heard about everything…so we knew you wouldn't be able to make it. It was just before daybreak, and…out of nowhere there were thousands of them," she coughed again, this time with blood coming from the corners of her mouth. She felt Kennedy try to sit her up slightly, and waved her off, "No, I have to tell you this, before it's too late," after taking a deep breath, she spoke again, "I was talking to Lynn, and then something grabbed her from behind, and the whole place erupted in screams. They were everywhere--All types of them, just taking us out one after another. We fought as long as we could, but there was nothing we could do," her hand moved to her stomach, so she could put some pressure on it, and Kennedy follow suit, "There leader seemed to be a vampire. He was very tall, with brown hair, and blue eyes. Called himself Lalo, or something. I'm not sure."

"Who was here?" Kennedy asked, cutting in, knowing full well the woman didn't have much longer. All she needed was a name, she figured. A name to track this guy down, whoever the hell he was, "I need to know who was here."

Gio shook her head, "Everyone," she whispered, "Everyone was here. We were all waiting for you to tell you the good news," somehow the woman managed a smile, "We've gotten word that they're coming here. The whole team of them, and they're leaders. They've finally come to help us, Kennedy. Soon…" she began to cough again, this time uncontrollably for a long while, "Soon, it might be over. Soon, you can…" a frown played across her face, slowly. As if a question were appearing in her mind, but before she can ask the question, her chest fell, letting out one final breath, and she was gone.

Seeing that the woman's eyes were still open, Kennedy reached and closed them gently, "You can stop fighting now," she said, as if the woman were still right there with her. And inside of her, she felt that in that moment she was still there. Like she was hovering there, trying to pull herself back in, but Kennedy knew it was all over. They should have known that one day they would be found out, and outnumbered. There was no way that that day wasn't inevitable. She just had not expected it to be so soon--Though, considering everything, three years was a long time. Thinking of the fact that the woman had said everyone had been there, she stood up, looking at the masses of dead bodies, trying to feel for anyone else, but all the life that was left belonged to the weaker sort. There was no one else out there that was like her. She prayed that everyone hadn't truly been there, or that some of them had escaped, but there was no time to wait and find out. Someone was after them all.

"We've gotta head back," she said, getting the other two's attention, but she had a feeling that they wouldn't get there in time. Sure, the sun was up, but for some demons that meant nothing; for most of them actually. There was no telling how much of a head start the attackers had, and she could only imagine what they'd return to find. From the look in Michelle's eyes, she was sure that her friend was thinking the same thing, and just as she was about ask if Abby was all right, the girl kneeled down and began to vomit--There was no need to ask.

***************************************

____

'We got lucky. When we got back, it was like none of what we had seen even existed. Everyone was there, sitting about, talking, or training. None of them knowing that just a couple hours away, there was a mass of dead bodies lying on the ground, torn to shreds; their bodies starting to smell due to the rising heat.'

Kennedy and all of the fighters had gathered in their room, Abby holding herself in the corner of the room. The girl had to be traumatized, but there was no time to assure her that everything was going to be okay; there was no time to lie.

"This is bad," Riley said, as she paced across the room. She was the pacer, they all knew that, and gave her room to do so. It was the way she thought best, and they were all up to suggestions of what they were going to do, "She said all of them were there? Was she sure? Did she say if any of them got away, or anything?" aggravated, she pushed her dark blue hair back out of her face. Any time she was upset or worried, her body seemed to heat up uncontrollably, and they all knew that. Usually they'd urge her to calm down, but considering what was going on, nobody said a word.

Kennedy ran her fingers through her hair, and sighed, "Uh, I don't think she really had the time to think that hard. She just told me what she could think of in that moment. Gave me a description of who she thinks is the leader, said that everyone was there, and…" it was the 'and' part that she didn't want to get to. It was the part that made her angry. It had always made her angry, while it made almost everyone else hopeful. They had heard whispers in the city about the original slayer and her group of fighters fighting on the other side of the country, and even at one point, there was word of them winning. That had been a year or so ago, and though she had then had hope that they were going to come help them fight, and finally put an end to all the great demon clans, they had never come. She had started to wonder if it was all even true, or just some rumor to keep spirits alive. But, whenever she thought that they were real…whenever she heard things that made her think that maybe there was some group out there, taking every demon in sight down, she got angry. It was weird, and most didn't understand, but to her there was a reason to be upset. New York was said to be the place hit hardest, after the spread from California and Cleveland, so what she couldn't understand was why they, being in New York, hadn't instantly been sent help. Year after year she had people dying, but no one had come to help them. No one had sent word of coming to finally relieve them…until now? No, she wasn't happy at all, she was furious.

"And?" Michelle questioned, just as all the eyes in the room did, though only her voice was heard, "And what, Kennedy?" from the look in their leaders eyes, she got the feeling that she knew what the woman was going to say. And though she understood Kennedy's feelings on the subject, she couldn't help but have hope in the possible truth of 'their' approaching arrival.

"She said that they got word of them coming to help us," she didn't need to say anything other than them for the group around her to start to talk amongst themselves, or shoot questions at her all at once, "I don't know how she knew. All I know is that she believed it to be true."

Abby stepped forward, "Do you think it's true?" she asked, "Do you think they're really coming," all of their hope depended on Kennedy's answer. If their leader said she didn't believe it, then they felt that she was probably right. The one time she had said yes to that question, she had been wrong, and promised to never lead them so blindly again--They had never truly lost a fight since…until recently. Any death of a fighter was considered a lost fight.

Kennedy looked the girl dead in the eyes, "I guess we'll just have to find out. In the mean time, I think we should find somewhere else to hide out. This was a little too close to home for comfort. We might want to check out the out sweeps, again. See if it's all calmed down."

"When?" Riley asked, unsure that she was with this new plan to move. If they started moving around, it would become harder for them to be found, and considering that they had the possibility of getting help, she wasn't sure that their usual way of taking off was the right course of action.

Though sensing the questioning eyes in the room, questioning her plan of action, Kennedy did not hesitate to answer, "Now."

-- TO BE CONTINUED --

Okay so that's it. It's not much, and I'm not completely 100 % behind it, but it's a first chapter, and all my first chapters start off a little shaky. So, I'm thinking that in the near future of this story, I'm going to show you all how everyone got together, and how Kennedy got to the position she's in now, but I just wanted to start you off here, because this is where all the action concerning the gang and Kennedy's fighters meeting up gets started. Not sure how I'm going to do any sort of flashback, but I will, and I'll be doing it soon. As for the next chapter, the gang prepares to head to New York, as Kennedy gathers everyone to move to a new hideout…Thanks for reading, and let me know if you're into it-*ThomThom*


	2. Trap Doors and Dysfunctional MudRats

Whoa…I really hate the fact that I started this story and then had to go on 'leave'…Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed, I'm glad that you enjoyed the first chapter. I'm hoping that this chapter will be good enough to where all the in between time will be forgotten, and any minor slips of changes will go unnoticed, or will be fully appreciated. Thanks for reading, and please feel free to review. -*ThomThom*

Chapter Two: Trap Doors and Dysfunctional Mud-Rats

Willow looked over her shoulder, peering out at the wreckage that was once such a great city; the smoke from fires lingering upwards slowly, seeming to do some sort of dance; the occasional howls of the demons known to walk around as if it were always nightfall; the barely audible scream of one of few humans left…or possibly a demon being slaughtered by it's own kind--or a demon being slaughtered by the ones she was looking for. It was just before nightfall, not that things like day and night truly mattered anymore, seeing that the common vampire was no longer a demon of top priority but truly a half-breed in their eyes. Still, it was nearly nightfall, too close for her liking considering that her and her team had been sent to do a scan of the area before everyone else arrived. Only witches, warlocks, and a single goddess were aloud to teleport to New York first; giving them a chance to pick up any signs of any kind of dark magic that may cause more of a threat. It was a simple mission, a building block of sorts; go feel things out, take a look around, send someone back, and everyone shows up. After that was when things got more complicated, and dangerous. But from the very moment she had arrived, she had figured maybe that wasn't the case-- that it would all be complicated and dangerous.

It was her and four others, a small number, but in terms of power they were a great force. A great enough force to go into the middle of chaos without a single slayer at their side, which had once been a bother to some, but then put in place as a true fact. They were their own. A family that depended on no one else for protection, or at least four of them were.

Amity, like Willow, was a white witch--A peaceful women only in her early twenties who they had stumbled upon during the Texas apocalypse, practically dead underneath the rubble of destroyed neighborhood. She was a country girl; her long light brown hair was always down, with a purple streak going down one side, and swooping bangs; her skin tanned because she never meditated inside, but had to meditate everyday; her voice was as soft as her bright green eyes; and her magic was pure. Before any fight or battle, she was constantly trying to find some sort of alternative to violence, but at the end of the day she did what she had to for those she cared about, and that's how she had ended up in the group--Along with the fact that she was the only witch they had encountered on the field that was even close to having the same amount of power as Willow, though completely different on many levels.

Next there was Rose, and Steven; twins, with a strange sense of humor. They specialized in tracking spells, as well as reading aura's, and breaking into the mind, usually to destroy it. Both were tall, lean characters, with hair that was so dark it had mind as well have been black, and eyes just as dark. From afar, they seemed to be dark figures themselves; creepy sometimes in their behavior, but people that knew them well had full trust in them. They were young, but they were experienced, and they had been mentored by Willow herself. How that had happened, she still wasn't sure, but the twins were like much too old children; not quite old enough to truly be called adults, but not too young to be taken seriously. As usual, when going into the field, they both had brought a few knives for times of panic; one in each boot, between their back and their belt, and Steven had one in the inside pocket of his jacket. They were fighters as well, and that was a part of them they never left behind.

Then, there was the goddess. After Cleveland's fall, and victory, seeing that all the remaining humans had been rescued, the Sunnydale group had gotten word from Angel that things were getting worse in California. They had headed there, hoping to lend the old friend a hand, and they did, but it hadn't truly been enough, and there were other cities, other states, that needed their help. The best they could do was leave behind a few well trained slayers, and whichever 'good' demon they had with them. It wasn't enough to save all of California, but it had been enough to keep up with the chaos around them, and to rescue the remaining humans. In return, when hearing word that the gang was heading to New York, the city known to be hit the worst--so bad that the gang thought it was too risky to even approach early on, because they didn't have as many resources, a safe place to live, enough food to feed everyone, and many other issues--Angel sent his top dog. Someone, or thing more like, that knew how to get around chaotic cities, enough black arts to wipe out clans at a time, and enough fighting power to kill hundreds with their bare hands. He sent Illyria. Early on, it had not gone so well. She had been difficult in planning, and training; not wanting to be a side man but rather than a front man, but after some time, and adjustment to the new group of humans surrounding her, Illyria no longer felt the need to point out that she technically was more powerful than most on the planet.

From afar, they looked like a group of foolish humans, minus Illyria, walking down a path that lead them to their own graves; Willow in her tight quarter sleeve navy blue shirt, dark blue jeans, and black slightly heeled boots; Amity with her white short sleeved shirt, blue jean shorts, leather sandals, and a colorful bracelet with bead on it that spelled out 'best friends'; and Steven and Rose looked out at the city as if they were just brought to a new playground, in their black shirt, dark blue jeans, and Stevens dark blue jean jacket. They looked foolish; like amateurs walking into the unknown. When the slayers went out, it was all dark colors, and fighting stances. With them it was random clothes, and simple walking. Or so it seemed.

As different as they all were from one another; practically opposites, there was a reason why they were trusted to go alone, and it definitely wasn't because they were disposable, or replaceable. It was because there was no one else like them. There was no other group that could walk onto a battlefield, tell you where all the main threats were located, give you an estimated number of how many different species of demon lurked about, fight a few idiotic unknowing creatures, and then return with maybe a few minor scratches. They were known for and trusted to do their job, and they had never failed, but they were in New York now. This was going to be the biggest fight; the most dangerous of them all.

Steven frowned slightly, crinkling the small scar on his forehead, "Well, I can already tell you that there's about twenty major clans to worry about. Pretty much only in the middle of the city, none of them night creatures--"

"Five of which use no magic whatsoever, but have extreme energies," Rose continued, looking over at Willow, who was still seeming to simply be looking at the city, "We should probably go in from the west side of the outskirts and make our way in."

"I don't know," Amity closed her eyes, "the west side seems to be kind of crowded. Lower level demons, but still crowded," focusing even harder, she turned her head slightly to the right, as if she were trying to make a whisper more audible, "Plus, I'm feeling more of a slayer pull from the eastern grounds. If we go in west, we'll have a lot of land to cross."

"She is right," Illyria's icy eyes slid over the landscape, pausing for a moment as a wall of a skyscraper collapsed, "I am not sure that it is necessarily a slayer pull, but there is something human for sure. We should probably just secure that fact, and then send the signal."

That was another problem with the New York mission; they were unsure of who they were rescuing, and where these people were. There had been times where they'd gone to places, thinking they were going to rescue a group of humans, only to find themselves face to face with large groups of demons who had performed spells to change their aura's in order to seem human. Traps like those had taught them many lessons; ones they didn't intend on getting any other lessons in, but there was only one way to find out if there were any humans to rescue, and that was to find them. Another one of their jobs. It was theirs because they could go in, and simply teleport out, where as the slayers could not, unless accompanied by a witch, warlock, or demon.

"We're going to have to actually go in straight," Willow concluded, finally breaking her silence, "If we go in straight, we can get a better look at what we're facing, and we won't have to cut across as much land, or teleport as much," she wasn't looking to waste any of her energy. The mission had just begun, and after their part of the mission, they were all still expected to fight with the slayers when they arrived, "Remember, we're not here to fight," her eyes landed on the twins, and both of them looked away, "we're just gonna take a look around, and then give word on whether it's a go, or not. Got it?" everyone nodded, and she trusted that all of them meant it fully. If they were going to stand a chance on rescuing anyone, they were going to have to be united in their plan. There was no time for any random actions, "Okay then, let's go," she began to walk forward, but then stopped and looked at everyone, "Oh, and be careful," as usual, she offered a slight smile to the group in order to give more of a sense of security. She felt they might need it for real this time.

**************************************

Kennedy sat on her small cot in the fighters' room alone with her elbows resting on her knees, and her face in her hands, '_Inspiration. Inspiration is such a necessity to live in a world like mine. To live in any world, I guess. It's a driving force; a call to action; a reason to love; a reason to open and close one's eyes. Inspiration is…everything. And yet sometimes…,' _she lifted her head as the door to the room opened, and Michelle walked in, making her sigh deeply as she placed her face back in her own hands, '_sometimes it is impossible to find. It no longer lurks behind a smile; no longer intertwines itself in words; or a painting on the wall; or a child on the street. Sometimes, inspiration is no where to be found.'_

Slowly, Michelle made her way over to her friends cot, sitting down beside her. For a moment, she just looked at her; studying her slumped back, slow breathing, and twitching fingers, "You okay?" why she had to ask a question she already knew the answer to, she did not know, but she felt that that question needed to be asked before any kind of conversation could truly begin. Things were hard--They were always hard, but there was no way they could lose that part of themselves. No matter how hard or bad things were, they had to keep asking those question, "You've been in here for a while."

"Don't really feel like socializing right now," her mind was scattered; roaming from slaughter grounds, to a distant past, future, and the present. The present however was more crucial, and there was no one around her who knew that fact better than she did. The present, as it seemed, was for once the biggest question mark in her mind. It wasn't the future; whether they'd be a live or not the next day. It wasn't the past; whether she remembered it right, the good, the bad. And it wasn't slaughter grounds; whether they consisted of the other top people of the city or not. The present--It was all about the present.

"I know right now you're upset about all of us wanting to stay here, and you're worried about the dangers of us being this close to where--" her voice stopped; unable to say those words again, "But with the way things have been, we just feel like we have to take a chance," over the past months there had been more fights than ever; the worse injuries some of them had ever seen; and a death in their own group. Things had to get better from this point, because if things got worse…, "We have to, Kennedy."

She lifted her head, looked into Michelle's eyes, and in them she managed to find that they were filled with hope, desperation, and inspiration. Not inspiration to fight for those who had been lost as they had the night before, but inspiration from a dead woman's words. Inspiration in the center of her hopes and dreams of finally seeing a better world once again; the same look she had seen in all of their eyes, '_Who am I?' _she wondered, '_Who am I to say no when us being here now all comes from my inspiration to stand and fight? Now, they're putting their hopes somewhere else. How can I say no?' _that's what she wanted to do. She wanted to look at all of them and tell them to pack up everything and be ready to move. And even though she was sure they wouldn't come; that this group of legendary fighters, whether real or not, were not coming to save them, she couldn't help but understand. She understood that they were all tired, and she understood the fact that the life they lived was not enough. They wanted--needed something more, but--

"What if they never come?" her hands began twitch even worse, forcing her to wrap her arms around herself, so her friend would stop glancing at them in concern, "What if this is just another trail of whispers putting us in harms way, again?" how long could they wait without being found, attacked, and slaughtered?

Michelle gently pushed some of Kennedy's hair back, trying to send her sense of hope into her best friend by staring her deep in the eyes, "What if they do?" she whispered, "What if us leaving leads to us dying anyways?"

There was always that chance; that chance of death. Whether they were sitting still, or on the move, death was always a possibility. The problem was the fact that in that very moment Kennedy felt that dying while trying to find a safer place seemed better than dying while waiting to be rescued, '_Inspiration. Right now I just don't feel it,' _she could see that Michelle truly believed in what she thought was a better idea, but she just could not believe that staying was the right thing to do, "Maybe it will. Maybe leaving will lead to us dying anyways, but when have we ever not fought for another day?" she knew the answer to that question--but that was not a place she wanted to revisit, "Standing around has never been our course of action."

They had all practically had the same conversation a few hours before. Each of them trying to get the head of the group to understand, but Michelle knew the way Kennedy's mind worked. It was searching for the logic; looking for a path that seemed to be the right one, the one that looked safe. Unfortunately, realistically, they were never safe, "We can still fight. We just think we should do it here," now she looked away, "There are still people who need us here. And, we've built our lives here, so why not fight where we are?" it was rare that she didn't agree with Kennedy's choice of action, but the situation in front of them didn't bring about any question. Not for her, or any of the other girls, "If we stay here we can still take care of the few civies, we can stay on alert for an attack, and we can also be here just in case…" she took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she did, "This time it could be real. Kennedy, Gio used her last few breaths to tell you they were coming. That has to mean something."

"Mimi--" she stopped herself short, hearing the emotions in her voice as she said her best friend's name; a sort of desperation she was sure the other woman didn't expect, and neither had she. She wished she could find hope in the fact that Gio's last words had been of coming relief, but all she could think was, "--they wouldn't have been there in the first place; they wouldn't have been so blind to their surroundings--these well trained fighters--they wouldn't have been wiped out so easily if they wouldn't have bought into the bullshit idea that they were finally coming."

That was it. Where they found inspiration, she found anger and hatred. So many bad things had happened when they bought into what she almost completely saw to be a lie. They had lived and fought for so long, sure she wanted it to stop, but year after year there had been whispers…and none of them had turned out to be true. Expecting an actual arrival at this point seemed juvenile.

"If there's anything we have all learned by this point," Michelle sighed, "it's that nothing is impossible," for a moment her and Kennedy made eye contact again--direct eye contact--and it was officially decided; all hands in, "We're staying."

"But--" the still unbelieving woman said, quickly, "we stay and we fight, and if we see it coming…if we actually see it coming and know there's no chance, we leave. No questions asked," her friend nodded in agreement, obviously relieved to hear the words she was hearing, _'Inspiration. Yeah…I'm still not feeling it.'_

"Speaking of fighting," the black haired woman stood up, and walked over to her own cot, grabbing a machete from under her bed, "Todd said something about hearing word of a little boy running around near the middle of the city almost an hour ago. Don't know if he's one of ours, or if there's another group of civies, but no one has reported another missing child, so maybe we should check it out."

Even though she was tired, Kennedy was up for a fight. One thing she knew would calm her nerves was a good old fashion battle; one she figured she wouldn't lose as long the territorial lines of the city clans had not been broken or changed, "Let's get everyone together then, we don't have long before sun down. Our new biggest enemy might be a vampire, strange as that sounds, and I don't think we're ready for that, so the sooner we can get back the better," there was that excitement; that familiar feeling that she actually enjoyed feeling, because she felt it would be a good night. Things overall were not good in that moment, but the fight, she felt, would be a good one, "And tell Abby she can tag along."

***************************************

Willow froze, a frown playing across her face, "Did anyone else hear that?" she asked, telepathically. They had already reached the middle of the city, teleporting around any huge groups of demons that they spotted from afar, but had stumbled upon a few stragglers. Lower level demons just looking for a fight, which Rose and Steven gave willingly. However, this time, it wasn't a demon that she thought was running around somewhere.

"A child," Illyria's voice was flat, but the curiosity was still easy to point out, "I did not sense a child before," she paused, "I still don't."

It was Amity that moved to walk a little ahead of the group, looking around cautiously, and trying to see if she felt any kind of presence, "I do sense something," she whispered. Instinctively, she began to hunch over slightly, trying to lower herself in order to look at things more closely as she passed them, as well as slowly look around them, "But, I can't tell--"

"That's because it's not something we've felt before," Steven reached for the knife in his jacket pocket, pulling it out slowly, "Which tells me that something's not right about this so called child. In fact, how do we even know it's a child at all? Hearing a creepy laugh doesn't mean anything," at that very moment, he saw a little boy run from behind a large piece of rubble, darting by all of them towards a large hole that went into a worn down skyscraper. His first instinct was to teleport in front of him, or it, catch him it off guard, but when he tried to do so, he found himself stuck, "Oh--"

"Shit," Rose's eyes widened, "We're bound here. There's some sort of binding spell on this territory," this was something that they had not experienced many times before, but they all knew the drill, and they knew that finding a point where the spell ended. Where they were, they only had the ability to sense certain things, to communicate internally, and that was all. No teleporting; no heavy duty spells, whether black or white. Not for anyone except for Willow, anyways.

"Amity, stay close to us," the redhead said, getting the younger woman to come back closer to the group. Now she had to make a decision--Should they pursue the boy, even though she was the only one with any real power, thanks to the fact that there was no binding spell powerful enough to contain her, or if they should continue on their way, or just go back.

"I say we go for it," Rose gave a dark grin, "Run after the little twerp, see if that leads us to any humans, because he could be some kind of half-breed," she quivered, "How anyone could go so far as to share a kid with a demon, not knowing the full side effects, is beyond me. Plus, it could be wicked painful. Like more than normal childbirth, you know?"

Amity nodded, "Yeah. Like what if it has horns? Hello, first thing out is a pair of--"

"Foolish humans, be quiet," Illyria looked to Willow, "You and I will go, the stupid ones will stay here. If something happens, we'll hear them scream," okay, so she hadn't fully adjusted, but they could only expect so much from an ancient demon like that.

Though not approving of the way Illyria had put her plan out there, she did think it would be better to follow the boy inside. Not necessarily to find him, but to make sure that that building wasn't something that the rest of the group should've been worrying about upon arrival. If there were any huge unknown, never heard of, threats to be found, they were the ones that were supposed to find it. She looked to the rest of the group, "Is that okay with you guys?"

"Sure," Amity shrugged before sitting on the ground, crossing her legs, "I'll just do a little meditating, see if I can feel any strangeness on another level."

Rose and Steven, both of them having a knife in hand, smiled, "I'm up for playing watch dog," Rose said, twirling her knife a bit. They didn't even have to hear a word from Steven to know that he felt the same.

"Okay then, we'll be out soon…hopefully," Willow said, looking up at the still somewhat tall building. It was obvious that some of the levels would not be accessible, seeing that a few floors seem to have collapsed in on themselves, but she was hoping not to have to go that far to get an assessment of things.

"No prob," Steven went to stand a few feet away from where Amity sat on the ground. He looked back as Willow and Illyria began to make their way inside, feeling a certain need to say one last thing, "Oh," he gave a slight smile, "and try not to get killed."

"Your version of words of encouragement, I'm sure," Willow frowned, turning to look at him "but they're not so encouraging."

Illyria simply kept walking, "He would die before us. That is encouraging for me."

***************************************

There they were; twelve once again, since Abby was tagging alone. They were all in their usual dark colors, and had at least one weapon ready to go. No one knew what exactly they were walking into; whether they were really about to rescue some more civilians, possibly some who had wondered in from the further reaches, or if a group of demons were waiting to rip them to shreds, so they needed to be ready for anything. Each and every one of them was on high alert, the three strongest fighters; Kennedy, Michelle, and Riley, were at the head of the group. Behind them, everyone else took their usual position, except for Abby who stood not to far behind Kennedy, Michelle, and Riley.

"Let's just try to do a quick sweep and then get out of here," Kennedy said, eyeing the building they were about to enter; it's dark windows, and shadowy insides giving a sense of foreboding. She looked to Michelle, who also seemed to be looking the place over repeatedly, obviously feeling something wrong as well, _'This could be it; a trap for us to just fall into like everyone else. They wanted to stay, and here we are,'_ after a few more seconds, she waved a hand forward, and they all moved forward; going to some stairs on the side of the building, which passed by a wide open window. Usually, they looked for wider entrances, because they were better exits, but the only obvious safer entrance that they could find was a single window that those stairs happened to pass. They were rusted stair, with chipping black paint, and squeaking steps, but they had to get in no matter what. It was their job to search and rescue, as well as fight, "Nobody leave this place without knowing where everyone else is. We leave someone behind, and I have a feeling we won't get them back."

Immediately upon entering, there was an overwhelming smell of burning plaster. Where little bits of light shown into the building, there could be a thin layer of smoke seen, hovering in the air, and the floor had a layer of mud covering it.

"Something's been lodgin here," Mia, a roughened Latina, with a thick Brooklyn accent, knelt down picking up some of the mud with one hand, while keeping a knife held and ready in the other, "It's cold. Maybe to keep off the heat of whatever's burning," she stood up, and glanced over at Kennedy, "Think I've seen this before. Back when I was still wondering around there was this group that would walk around covered in mud--Couldn't tell if they were human, they were so covered."

Michelle gripped her bow tighter, "You couldn't sense them, then," Mia shook her head no, and immediately, all of them were tense. They looked around them slowly, and breathed as little as possible. Their other sense needed to kick in; they needed to hear every movement in the building; ever breath; and every whisper. Not being able to sense an approaching threat meant that they could be surrounded and not even know it. Behind any door, something could be waiting, but that would mean that there could also be humans anywhere as well, which meant they couldn't just go around swinging, stabbing, or shooting. No mistakes could be made, or they'd all regret it.

"Stay close together, and try not to make a sound. Like I said, let's just try to do a quick sweep," Kennedy whispered, as she began to walk again. At the far end of where they had entered, there was a door--their first door. The first door was always the most dangerous. Everyone was on high alert, they didn't know what to expect, and they had to judge whatever was on the side quickly, so if any mistakes were going to be made, it was going to be with the first door. Knowing that first hand, like most of them, Kennedy looked back over her shoulder, first getting a few nods to go ahead from the other fighters, and then to tell Abby to basically stand back a little. She was too inexperienced for the mission. Kennedy felt that she should have known better. That she shouldn't brought someone with no real field experience on a mission that was practically a question mark in and of itself.

Once she knew everyone was ready, Michelle moved forward to open the first door. She reached for it slowly, first opening it only a few centimeters so she could get a peak at whatever was on the other side, and then she opened it completely. There was nothing--Absolutely nothing. There were no sounds of moving feet, or growls, or snarls. There was only silence.

Kennedy, seeing that Michelle was still looking, instead of giving her usual hint as to what could be seen, frowned. She looked back at her shoulder, seeing all eyes forward, and ready for what was about to happen--Except nothing was happening. It wasn't possible, '_Ever been somewhere and just know that it was all going to go horribly wrong? Like you're standing somewhere, anywhere, outside or inside--The ceiling is going to collapse; someone's going to break in; a car on the street is going to suddenly stop, or turn to quickly, or run a light only to be slammed into by another car. A moment where you know…it's all wrong. So wrong. And yet…there's nothing you can do about it,'_ with her thoughts wondering, Kennedy suddenly reached out, pushing Michelle to the side, dismissing every gasp, and confused glare. And, just as Michelle's body slammed to the ground, they heard a scream.

"Move back," Kennedy yelled, trying to move herself, but it was too late. The once empty doorway now had a burning figure running through it. She tried to move back quickly, not wanting the flames to touch her, but the flames made her slip suddenly, "Jesus," her body hit the mud, sending some of it flying into the air.

Abby, who had had her eyes on Kennedy from the moment she began to fall, just like everyone else in the room, looked back to the door seeing that out the corner of her eye, she could see the flamed figure running towards all of them, "Watch out," they all moved, as the flame figured just continued to run all the way out of the building. Each of them were struck to a point of silence--Unsure of what had just happened.

But, there was really no time to sit around, and Kennedy knew it, "I'm doubting that any of these demons set their own guy on fire," she stood up, instantly feeling the weight of all the mud that covered the back of her from head to foot, "We've got to keep going," everyone got into position again, Kennedy grabbing her machete as she moved towards the door, "This time, I'll go first," just as she made her way through the doorway, there was another scream. Then another, and another. Everywhere. No, something was definitely not right.

****************************************

Willow looked around the dingy building, noticing the brown plaster that was falling to the ground, joining the layer that was already there. How any of these buildings were still standing was beyond her. They all seemed to be slowly falling apart from the inside out, instead of collapsing entirely. Like there was some kind of disease sucking them dry. Must of the major cities they had encountered no longer had skyscrapers, only crumbled masses, and shattered glass. New York, however, seemed to have many.

Rats and mice scattered about, squeaking and squealing, "Not my ideal place of work," she mumbled, but running and screaming at the sight of a mouse would have been pretty ridiculous considering all that she had been through. They had to keep moving, see what was there, and go. If they could avoid it, there would be no fighting, or spell casting, or anything else. They just needed to know what was there.

As they passed yet another of what seemed to have once been offices, Illyria noticed something, "Wait," Willow stopped and turned to her, already prepared for something to happen, "There's a light in this one," she reached to her left, and slowly pushed a door open. The office, empty minus the plaster, and the rats, was very large, and from it's window view the majority of the city could be seen. They were in the heart of it, after all, "A crystal."

"A crystal?" Willow moved so she could see what the goddess was looking at, "Why would there be a…" there it was. In a corner of a room, a pink crystal glowed brightly. Illyria, not seeming to feel the need for any kind of caution, began to walk in the room, so she followed behind her, trying to see if she sensed any kind of dark magic, but in the back of her mind she knew she wouldn't feel any. For one thing, she had never ever ran into a pink crystal that was a conduit of dark magic, and there was also the fact that it seemed to give off a comforting glow, "Let me take a look at it," Illyria stopped, allowing her to be ahead of her, as she made her way over to it, still moving slowly, considering that she still wasn't exactly sure what she was about to encounter. It could have had some kind of protective field around it, or an explosive reaction to clashing magic.

"How human of you to actually come to it's call," Illyria said.

"Yeah? Well, I do believe that you too were going to check it out. In fact, I think it was you that even noticed it at all," senseless conversation; a few pointless words. They always had that; the whole group of them always had a habit of saying things that didn't seem to fit the situation. Perhaps that was the way they dealt with the danger of the situation, they didn't know--They didn't care to. She reached her hand towards the crystal, not trying to touch it, but seeing if it had any protecting field, and it did, but it was a weak one that instantly collapsed when her hand touched it, "It's what's binding the others, but I've never seen it done like this before. It binds you, and calls you to it at the same time," no longer feeling any threat from the crystal, Willow picked it up, examined it for a moment, not seeing anything truly special about it, and then dropped to the ground, before stepping on it, "That should solve our problem. The only question is--Who put it here? And, why?"

"That's two questions," the goddess pointed out.

Willow simply rolled her eyes, as she turned to head out of the room, knowing that they needed to search more of the building to find whoever, or whatever. As she made her way back over, she noticed something different about a pile of plaster on the floor, a little closer to the window. It seemed to be more slumped than the rest, pressed closer to the ground, forming a sort of dip. Like someone or something had been sitting there, possibly had done so repeatedly. It could have been whoever that had placed the crystal in the room, that would make sense, and if she got close enough the was a possibility she would be ever to sense whoever, or whatever, was once there. So, she walked over to it, kneeled over and touched the plaster, but what happened was not what she expected.

Her eyes closed and she found herself running, only it wasn't her. It was as if she were suddenly seeing something through someone else's eyes; hearing what they were hearing; feeling what they were feeling; their thoughts blasting in her head, _'We've gotta get out. They're everywhere,'_ suddenly a flamed figure ran by, and she could see that they were taken back--could hear their already quickened breathing, become more frantic. Other people were running about, scattering as more figures passed by. Then there was a demon--One she had seen before, but whoever she was seeing through had not. They made the mistake of trying to punch it, but their hand merely sank into it's muddy skin. But then another hand lifted, and a machete sliced it's head off. Parts of the building were now on fire. The ceiling was starting to fall. She could hear them yell for everyone to run; could hear as others tried to tell them that they wouldn't leave them behind. She could see others fighting around her. Then, a part of the ceiling fell directly in front of them, and even Willow gasped. They turned, only to find that a group of demons running at them, and that's when she knew she had to do it--

**************************************

Michelle turned just as a piece of the burning ceiling fall to the ground directly in Kennedy's path, "Kennedy!" she took off, ignoring the demon she had been fighting, one that wasn't covered in mud, even though she knew it wasn't a good to ever turn her back on her enemy. It was Kennedy. There was no way she was going to let her best friend die, but before she reached her--Just as Kennedy was about to strike one of the approaching demons, only to be knocked to the ground, and unconscious, a figure appeared beside Kennedy, "Don't touch her," she yelled, but there was nothing she could do. They reached out, pulling Kennedy against them, and then disappeared. In that moment, the building collapsed.

-- TO BE CONTINUED --

Okay, so not a big package, and really not much in terms of development…but I'm about to go out of town now (I know…I'm shaking my head too), so this is all I can give you. But, I can promise some nice things in the next chapter--Next time--Kennedy finds herself in a whole different world, full of new people, and things she'd never thought she'd see again…the only problem is that no one she cares about is there, and she has no clue if they're alive or dead, but there is one thing she does no--she has to go back. Okay, well that's what's gonna go on next chapter. Hopefully this chapter got you interested enough to come back again!! I promise it won't be such a long wait, I'll be gone for a few days, and I'm taking a pencil. Thanks for reading, and please review…let me know what you think, if you're interested, if you think it's weird. Oh and sorry for any missed typos, it's late…--*ThomThom*


End file.
